All filler...no meat...

If you want a Cannondale, buy it now...prices are going up soon!

Wondering where SuperHurriBlizzarStorm Sandy is right now?  Just look at the wind...

I think I want one of these...

Okay...time to get back to The Weather Channel...


Peace!  And to all of my Yankee friends, stay the fuck inside!!!

Coins have two sides...

Man, that was my weekend...
Saturday morning met us with weather that could be described as Spring in Kortrijk.  Sure, it was 65 degrees, but low gray clouds hung in the sky, and a swirly North wind was blowing.

Just a day with varying shades of brown and gray...

Felt bad, rode about the same.  Between feeling like dump, and having not changed my mountain cassette off my ROL rear wheel, it just wasn't a comfy 2.5 hours on the bike.  There was no Goldilocks moment of the ride.  Gears were either too big, or too small.
Still got 80km...
Thought I would come home and get a quick cat nap...
BZZZZT...still my turn...
Upon hitting the main drive of Service Course, I could hear the tell-tale sound of whinging children, and the leafblower.  Oh Joy...
The next 90 minutes was spent blowing, raking, dragging and mowing leaves.
I guess one could call it cross-training...

Sunday, I just wasn't motivated to go ride.   The sun was out, and the winds were lighter, so I kitted up and headed to the spot.  We had a nice little group for the LexCo ride.  Same roads, but a completely new loop.

Once on 302, it was evident that the tailwind would be pushing us to Swansea.  After turning onto Hwy 6, it was go time.  MW hit the front, and hit the gas.  We lost Il Prof and The Mope, but kept rolling.  It was a pleasant 40+ kmh run all the way to Swansea.  At times, speeds were licking 50kmh...big fun.  I even took the Swansea sprint.  MW said he didn't see the sign...whatever...a W is a W.  Pay attention Cat 1!!  Il Prof caught us at the BP...Mope took a wrong turn (there was only one turn, and it was obvious which way to go), only to be waiting for us at the top of 12th.  Still working out how he got back there before we did...

The head/cross wind home really wasn't bad.  MW, Clayton and I took the dirt road home.  Kinda rough due to the lack rain, but definitely rideable on 23c tires.  We lost Mope there too...for the 4th or 5th time of the morning.
Felt better as the ride progressed, and rode as well as could be expected at the end of October.
Got home, ate, showered, and went to find the Great Pumpkin...and we did, at Publix.  $6 for a pumpkin the size of a small Hawaiian island.  We tried to support the fund raiser at Wesley UMC, but just couldn't.  I'm all for supporting local causes, but not at a 400% premium.  Yep, the same size gourd at Wesley was $25.
Methinks that someone up there should have taken an economics class in addition to their theological studies.

All in all, it was a good weekend...a solid B.

Oh, Plzen was a mudfest...



Handlebar view of a practice lap...



Call me soft in the head, but it looks like a good time...

Ok...time to get the day started...

Namaste...

This and that...

Not much going on around here.  Trying to catch up on what I missed while in Virginia for the better part of five days.  These little trips are always fun, but somehow, life and responsibilities jump up and smack me down when I get home.

I did, however, finish this for my buddy Slip...

2012 Helium w/SRAM Red and a Quarq crankset.  It's in full on Flanders mode right now, only because I needed some of my own stuff to finish the build. 
The wheels will be replaced by a set of carbon tubs, and the saddle with be supplanted with a white Fizik Arione. 
It ain't heavy...

The remainder of my catch-up isn't nearly as exciting.  Laundry, yardwork, planning what is going to get done to the house before sticking a sign in the yard...ah, the glamour of it all!

Fun ride Tuesday night, but fatigue was kicking my ass.  Heavy legs, and a bunch of stopping and starting...
No matter, it was a nice little 2 hours on the CX bike.  I didn't ride the Boyds, as I forgot that they are the 23mm wide hoops, and that would have required a complete re-tooling of my brakes.  Not happening for one ride.  I'd planned on riding them Saturday/Sunday, but they are going home today...oh well...

Speaking riding at night, I saw this light, and was intrigued...especially for the $.  2500 lumens is a bit ridiculous.  Even if they are optimistic on the output, w/3 CREE LEDs, it's gotta be hella bright.  The whole website has cool stuff on it...

I also mapped out the climb to Potts Mountain in New Castle, Va.  From the door of Wilderness Adventure, to the top of Potts is 17 miles.  Here's the elevation image :

Doing it twice is really fun...Take a 27 or 28 tooth big cog...thank me later. 

Our friend Padraig crashed...on his face.  His insurance isn't covering his injuries.  A PayPal account has been set up to help out.  Like the article says, you'd buy a buddy a beer after a ride...that's $5!  Throw $5 at Padraig...

Another cyclocross video...only this one is 60+ years old!!



No ridey tonight.  #2 MT has t-ball.  Thank Dog it's almost over! 

Saturday @ 0900 from Rosewood School.  Come on out.  Beats driving to a ride...
Sunday @ 0900 from Laurens and Greene.  OSR ride...

Namaste...

Stuff to look at...

Women's CX highlights from Tabor



Men's CX race from Tabor

 Ah, the glamour that IS being the top Euro CX racer.  Shoulda just pressure washed him!

I think we all need to give women's CX a fair shot...

Now for the comedy portion of the show...

 

Nothing going on...

Night ride tonight from the Co-Op @ 6:30.  Gonna demo some Boyd wheels tonight...a short review will follow.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Back at it...

DivaCamp broke yesterday @ 12:45.  We were rolling out @ 12:46!  Although the weekend was big fun, I was ready to kill the 5 hour drive back from Virginia!  Did it in 4:30.  I can neither conform, nor deny, that any traffic laws were broken. 
And I somehow came back to Columbia with more bikes than with which I left...

Slip gave me his new Helium frameset and SRAM Red (Black) group, and his Felt CX bike.  The CX bike will get beheaded, and the bars will go on the Helium.  Pics of these operations will follow.

As usual, Camp was a huge success.  It was a good mix of new campers, as well as those who had attended previous DivaCamps.  The talent levels were all over the board, but the levels of enthusiasm were universally high.  And ALL of the ladies made it up Potts Mountain this year!  As a matter of fact, they ALL made it up quite a bit faster than last year. 
The climb was so nice, I did it twice!!  I got to the top with one group, made sure they were okay at the support vehicle, then headed back down to ride with another group.  Nothing says loving like a 10km climb that averages 5.5%!  If nothing else, it's worth doing just for the descent.  Big looping turns, chicanes, a few long stretches...all punctuated with the fear, and knowledge, that if you miss a turn @ 70kmh, it'll be a long fall of the mountain! 

Again, I came home tired, both mentally and physically, but a bit renewed.  with all of the talk about Lance, doping, Strava, and myriad other bullshit that permeates our cycling lives, it was quite nice to be somewhere for 4 days, and be around people who just ENJOY riding their bicycles.  I am extremely proud, honored, and awed of the ladies who attended camp.  All had A+++ positive attitudes, and knocked down every challenge thrown at them with vigor, and great big smiles. 
The opportunity to be a part of TotalCyclist DivaCamp is one I do not take lightly.  I am very lucky...

 The main lodge is HUGE.  This section is the original cabin that was on the property when it was purchased. 

 Tom being Tom...

 Yeah, the views were terrible!!!

 The porch on the Main Lodge...

The crew! 

If you get a chance to ride in that part of the World, DO IT.  We stayed at Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing.  It's rustic, yet completely home-y.  The food and staff are first class, and there's plenty to do, both on site, and in the surrounding area.  There are myriad hiking and mountain biking trails, and the Appalachian Trail is about 15 minutes away.  The REAL beauty?  No phone service, spotty wifi, and complete darkness and quiet at night.  Pretty damn brilliant...
Want to see the fun?  Go here...

Thanks for stopping by today.  We'll get back to the usual snark tomorrow!!!

Namaste...

Out for a few...

 Hoy meets Danny



When Hoy arrived...in full beast mode...



Think you wanna race CX in Europe?




Namen 2011  Cold and muddy



2012 US CX Champs from Madison  (Sorry about Dave Towle... #sucks)



2012 CX WC




Good Urban ride last night.  Decent 2 hours on the CX bike.  Always fun when not taken too seriously.
Time to get going.  Headed to Virginia in a few hours for DivaCamp.  Hopefully there's enough video content from the past 2 days to keep you occupied.  I'll be back Monday.

Peace and Phil grease...

Oh...

Saturday IS going off this week from Rosewood School @ 0900.  Be there!  Let's keep this ride going so it becomes the regular Saturday ride.

Namaste...

No ranting today...just a lot to look at...

Neerpelt 29 Sept 2012



Kalmthout 30 Sept 2012



Ruddervoorde 2012



GP Mario DeClercq Ronse 2012




Dogs in 1000fps slo-mo...



Isle of Man TT...defintely NOT slo-mo....



Now that I've burned all of the productivity you'd planned on having today...  :)

Night ride tonight @ 6:30 from the Co-Op.  I guess I should find an alternate route, as riding through Fair traffic is the cycling version of Russian roulette.

Enjoy your multi-media extravaganza!

Namaste...

Irony...

Irony : "incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs".

And so we have a bit of a discord in cycling these days.  This is the reason I've started this morning with the definition (one of many) of IRONY.

Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?

Well, for ME, it's more than a bit ironic that a lot of the righteous indignation being levied at LA, USPS cycling, et al, is coming from folks whose entire frame of reference for cycling began sometime between 1999, and the date that the first Lance Armstrong reports began to trickle out.
And you know, that's fine, but possibly a little misguided and self-serving.  Are those folks trying to convince you and me, or themselves?
Cycling has a long, rich, beautiful, dirty, and tangled history.  Drugs have ALWAYS been a part of this history.  Google "pot belge", "Tom Simpson", "Six Day racing", or even the GoAT..."Eddy Merckx".  Yes, my friends,  Eddy got popped not once, but TWICE for doping.  1969 Giro, and 1973 Lombardia.

 A lot of things that happened decades ago are borderline unbelievable.  Makes Lance's pharmaceutical operations seem almost tame by comparison.

Once some knowledge is gained, and the frame of reference grows from wallet-sized to mantle-sized, it's easier to see that this is just an epoch in the history of cycling.

If one wants to aim ire in a direction,  aim it at ALL of professional cycling.  LA and his boys weren't the only ones doing the dirty.  And truth be told, a lot of it should be aimed at the UCI.  Those guys knew everything that was going on.  The guys who got popped in this period?  Sacrificial lambs...nothing more.  They served their penalties and were welcomed back with open arms.

It's a bit like this scene from Casablanca...




Hell, some of the practices were so out in the open, it was hard to miss!  I have a Pantani poster in Service Course.  In said poster, Pantani has a cotton ball taped to the crook of his elbow!!!  And before you say... "...probably from the drug testers...", be aware that they don't test BEFORE THE STAGE!!!

Does this affect people?  Sure.  Be mad.  Be indignant.  Fire off emails.  Boycott brands.  Whatever makes you feel better.  Just know that it's always gone on, and it's not likely to stop anytime soon.  Proof?  the 2012 TdF was the fastest in history...and supposedly clean.  Uh-huh...

Just remember, if you're a TRUE fan, you'll be back...



Fun ride in Camden on Saturday...except for the whole "I sucked and felt like shit" part.  Of course, the first 4 miles of the ride had much to do with this.
Hoping against hope, I thought that MAYBE the group would just roll out for a while, then the gauntlet would get thrown down.  Nope...still my turn.
First mistake...starting in the waaaaay back.
Out of the parking lot, the pace went from "ah, what a wonderful, cool morning" to "why is my HR 170 and we're 7 minutes into this ride?"
I could make myriad excuses, but they would all be little more than lip service.  I'm not built to go hard from the gun.  I chased across to the lead group, got Jasen Clutts up there, and promptly blew up in a spectacular shower of suck sparks.  Bye-bye front group...

A small group gathered up and rode together for a bit, then it was just Il Prof and myself.  No matter.  It was a good ride, big fun, and different.  I never did feel good on the ride, but still knocked down 101k w/o drama.  I'll take it.

Nice scenery, and good roads out there, but whoever said the loop was flat, w/a few large hills was full of shit!

Sunday greeted me with dead everything, but I kitted up and me the bunch.  We rolled out into LexCo for a leisurely 80km.  My legs and back were less than pleased with me.  It was a perfect morning for a ride, so it was all good!

I rolled home, ate, got showered, and headed to the corn maze with the Management Team.  Walking through a corn field really felt superb!  But, time with Junior Management is time well spent!

It's 0830...time to get the day started.  Much to do before I blow out for DivaCamp on Wednesday afternoon.

Namaste...

The worm is beginning to turn...

SCA Promotions paid Lance nearly $12 million for winning the Tour.  Looks like they may want it back....

 Yeah, don't care who you are...that's funny stuff...

 This is sort of heartbreaking.   Looks like an old 333m track too...

Hopefully, this will buoy your spirits for the weekend.

This time next week, I'll be waking up in the mountains of Virginia.  Hope I actually get to ride a little...

Camden tomorrow.  Starts at the Revolutionary War Park @ 0900.  Good ride and good terrain.

And so falls the other (large) shoe...

The USADA released an overview of the USPS/Lance Armstrong findings today.  It doesn't bode well for the future of LA, or Livestrong...

The "overview" is 202 pages.  The entire document is rumored to be 1000+  !!!  For comparison, the Mitchell Report (baseball doping/steriods) was 409 pages.

Reasoned Decision

I've read about half of the above document.  Sounds to me like the USADA, USA Cycling, and very soon, the UCI and WADA, have Lance over a barrel.  


Also sounds to me, and it's really not a surprise, that LA has some serious sociopathic tendencies. 

It also begs the question, if all of this was going on, and not JUST with Postal, what culpability does the UCI have?  They had to have known...

Fun Urban ride last night.  Pretty good sized group that included Doug and Rachel on the tandem.  They did just fine.  Oh, did I mention that Rachel is sight-impaired? 
She has some vision during the daylight hours, but at night, she said her field of vision is about 5 degrees, directly in front of her face.  No peripheral vision AT ALL.  Did I mention that she kicked ass on the back of the tandem?
I cannot even BEGIN to imagine what it takes to just relinquish control like that....

Not riding Thursday...T-Ball games take precedence.

Saturday @ Rosewood won't be happening this week, as many of us are going to Camden for the Tour de Camden. 
Sunday should be going off at normal time.  0900 @ Greene and Laurens.

It's Beautiful...go outside and play...

Fine lines people...

Okay...in the interest of transparency (wow, that sounded like I was running for office...), I'd like to point out that I've done some hard/epic/stupid/inane shit in my life.  I'm quite sure some of you are now muttering to yourselves in agreement...
I all for these insane road/CX/MTB events, but as the title states, there are very fine lines that separate the ones that are big, fun adventures from the ones that have the capacity to :

A) Kill you during the race...

Or

B) Lead you to a lingering, painful death by secondary infection weeks after...

And with that, I present...

3 Peaks CX from our pals in the UK

  World's Hardest Cyclocross Race from Geoff Waugh on Vimeo.

After watching the video, I'm left ruminating.  Taking part in something like this would be fun in good weather, no matter the time/distance.  Taking part in what could only be described as abysmal weather would be okay...if it lasted about 2 hours.
Things like the video depicts are just destroyers.
Destroyers of tires, wheels, BBs, chains, brakepads, cables...
...and most importantly...

SOULS!!!

Fine lines indeed...

Night ride tonight.  6:30 at the Co-Op...

Have a good Tuesday...

Hello Monday...you glorious S.O.B.!

What the whaaaaa?  57 and raining outside.  So much for doing anything today...not like I really had plans anyway.  I do have some actual work to do, but that can wait for a few minutes...

I wondered why I woke up this morning and felt like I'd been in a truck crash.  Holy old man joints Batman!

Correct...

 For TVH...like I said last Friday...quit fooling around...

Firefly is at it again.  See also : Properly mitered and welded.  Dear God...It's beautiful....

Saturday was a bit thinner in the attendance department, but we still had a great ride.  I will shoulder the blame for the route however.  Seeing as I ride au naturel now...

...mileage and routes are figured out on the fly, in my little bitty brain.  Usually, I'm spot on.  Years of riding the same roads will do that to/for you.  Anywho, a couple of route changes were made in the middle of the ride Saturday, which ended up giving us a few more miles than planned.  No matter.  There was no whinging, and everyone enjoyed their day.  70 and sunny...what's not to like?  I ended up with 90km, but seeing as Service Course is 2 block from the meeting/return spot, I get the fewest miles on Saturdays.  Most had around 100km.
The two hours immediately following the ride were spent raking, mowing, and blowing leaves/grass, as well as clearing leaves and manducated hickory nut shells from the roof.  Judging by the sheer volume of shell bits, there should be some seriously obese squirrels roaming about!
A much needed shower, and nap followed...

Sunday morning was the usual Lex/Cal ride.  The group did Swansea backwards again.  Another 100km in the books.  Well, not quite, but when the ride is 96km, you loop the block to get the even 100!
It was quite lovely out in the country yesterday.  Nice to be able to work on the tanlines in October.  You big city bike culture dorks can keep it, I'll take the sunshine!

And as most know by now, USC beat Georgia like a ginger kid on Saturday night.  It was 35-7, and really not that close...
USC is now #3 in the country, which scares the scheisse out of me.  If they hold true to form, LSU will give them a sound drubbing next weekend.  Call me Debbie Downer if you like, but I've been here since 1988.  Regardless of coach, or talent, it is Carolina's way...

Until then let's all just...

Until next time...

Edit : And big props to MDrogalis, ESQ., for winning solo male @ The Baker's Dozen over the weekend.  And he won by a BUNCH!  Good ride man!

Friday

 Again...if you do not know ANYTHING about the picture above, please do not use the term "Back in the day..."
And no, the fellow on the far right is not Dicky!

 Well used boards...

First Gran Fondo rides...
I'm sure this shirt will come to fruition at some point in the near future...

Went to the Urban Ride last night.  It was disjointed at best.  I was out of sorts from a lack of calories, and a trip to Renick anyway.  The meandering nature of the ride did little to help.  Either way, I was out of the house, and got a bit over 2 hours on the bike.  We'll call it a push...

Again, I may need to re-adjust my opinion of the whole fixed gear scene. 

Weekend Rides: 
Saturday 0900 @ Rosewood School  50-ish miles out thru the flats.
Sunday 0900 @ Greene and Laurens  55-60 miles out into Lex and Calhoun.

Come on out to either, or both.  Both rides have been big fun lately.

Time to head down to Service Course and change a flat...

Miles and smiles...

Nothing to see here...

Well, I missed the first Urban ride last night.  After nearly two incident free months, I awoke with a slightly separated shoulder.  Meh, it happens...maybe not to YOU, but to me...sure, from time to time.  It's what goes down when you nurse a shoulder injury for 14 years without much needed surgical intervention.

Thanks to EVS, and the pharmaceutical industry, I'm much better today.  Back to normal by tomorrow at the outside.  Of course, normal is a pretty relative term...

 Um, yes please?  I think I'd be afraid to ride it on the track though.  Too nice to ball up...

 Huh, who do you think initiated this conversation?  Gotta love Cipo...

 Brady Bunch lesson.  Don't throw 'em up until you've crossed the line...

New D/A 9000 crank.  Even the chainrings are hollow!  Be those are inexpensive when they need to be replaced.  Oh yeah...proprietary...

Charge up your lights, grab your CX or MTB, and come out to the Urban ride Thursday night.  6:30 @ the Co-Op in Cayce/WeCola. 

Like a kick in the head...

and...it's Monday again...

 Anyone need a track frame? 

 Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!  I have a love/hate relationship with Firefly.  I absolutely love their artistry with titanium, yet at the same time, I loathe them because, eventually, if I continue this pursuit of madness we call cycling, Firefly will drain my bank account of several thousand dollars.

 Gilbert - "Nobody makes me bleed my own blood...."

 I'm no expert in body language, but methinks Ballan may be considering choking out the photog with his own camera strap!  Anyone else notice the 7800 Dura-Ace SRM crankset.  Even Euro-dogs stick with what works...

Purito wins Lombardia on what can only be considered a less than optimal day for bike racing...

2013 Giro Presentation...




Another weekend of good rides...

The weather was sort of meh...no tightening up of the tanlines, but we had two more really nice rides.
Saturday was what has sort of become the Rosewood School tempo ride.  80km of 2x2 out through the Swamp and LR.  No fuss, no muss...just knocking down miles.  It's nice to have a good-sized, jovial group ride again.  We were missing a few, but still had a good ride, and a good time!  Not hard to knock down 80-85km in 2:30 when everyone is on the same page, and not whinging.

Sunday met us with chillier temps, and overcast skies.  Let's be honest though, it was a pretty damn perfect day to ride a bike.  Cool temps, no sun baking you, very little wind...I wouldn't minded if it was 5-10 cooler...
We mixed it up, and did the Swansea loop backwards, which is now my preferred way to ride the loop.  All of the BS gets out of the way in the first 90 minutes of the ride.  The last two hours were pretty damn fun.  It's funny just how a loop you've ridden several times can look, and feel, completely different when ridden in the opposite direction. 
I returned to an empty HQ, as the Management Team went on a day trip up into the PeeDee.  The bike went into Service Course, lunch was eaten, and yours truly curled up on the couch like an aged yard dog who's finally been let in the house. 
90 minutes later, I opened my eyes...it was bliss!  Although, I was confused, my neck was jacked, and my bladder was trying to pull a Malcolm X.  A hard nap like that is a rare thing around here.  I'm just not used to it.  I suppose more training is needed?

Try not to let this shit weather Monday get you down! 

Namaste...